Thursday, 22 July 2010

Review: Shiver - Maggie Stiefvater

Summary (from Goodreads):For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without.

Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human ... until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

What I liked: Well, thank God Linger is here! I may be a bit late on the Shiver/Linger bandwagon but I have arrived! Knowing Linger was soon to be released, I decided to read Shiver in preparation. There is an awful lot of hype out there about Shiver. It fits perfectly into the paranormal romance trend that’s so huge at the moment and it fits in side by side with other huge books like Fallen and Beautiful Creatures.

Shiver benefits from Stiefvater’s wonderful style and ethereal prose that weaves together a beautiful story of love between Grace and Sam. It’s utterly addictive and I found myself reading the book in one sitting, even though it’s fairly long for a YA novel. It’s just breathtaking – it’s hard to put into words just how much I loved Shiver. As soon as I finished I just wanted to start again and escape back into Grace and Sam’s world.

The novel alternates between Grace and Sam’s voice and both characters are brilliantly written. I didn’t get at all mixed up as to who was narrating, which I sometimes do with a split narrative. The cast of supporting characters are great too and I really warmed to Isabel in particular – I’m excited to see how her character develops in Linger.

And yes – Shiver completely blows Twilight out of the water. Plus, the cover art is absolutely exquisite.

What I didn’t like: I have nothing bad to say – Shiver is as close to perfect as you can get. Stiefvater really hit a home run with this one.

Final thoughts: Shiver is a one of a kind story that is impossible to forget in a hurry. Definitely one of my favourites I’ve read this year!

I don't even think I need to tell you how much I love this book. As I'm sure you could gather from my review. *grins* Loved your review and agree with everything that you've said! Now, to get my hands on Linger!